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Confidence in 2026 Models?

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MNiceguy

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I am currently the owner of a 2025 Limited with the Hurricane HO but that truck has been nothing but headaches and is currently involved in litigation with FCA. At some point I need to find something else but really I don't think there's anything that checks my boxes like a RAM does. Heck, I even like the Hurricane engine. The thing is I don't want to jump out of the pan just to land in, well, the pan. There's of course my own personal experiences but I've even caught folks at the dealership saying things that seem to point toward a reality where the 2025's were not very good and had a lot more issues then their predecessors.

Furthermore, I'm having a hard time deciding because of my RAM experience so far
RAM #1: Perfect truck. Never needed anything
RAM #2: Excellent truck - no issues
RAM #3: Wiped the cam at 25mi (yes, twenty-five) and got swapped for a different truck
RAM #4: The replacement for #3 and probably the best vehicle I've had so far
RAM #5: Basically a disaster that's been nothing but problems, stress, and drama

So here I am where the best and worst vehicles I've owned are the same make, model, and general age and let's just say I've had a healthy number of cars in my life so far.

What's everyone's read on the 2026 model year? Of course the Hemi is back which is great but I'm thinking more in terms of reliability concerns. Do you think Stellantis got their crap together and did a little better job on the second model year (of the 5th gen refresh/Hurricane platform in RAM)? Does anyone out there have one that has some miles on already?
 
The problems of the '25 have carried over to '26. Engines are fine. Hurricane and Hemi. The electrical components are trash.
 
Give it time. Got to almost 11,000 before the gremlins came forth on my '25. I now have the check engine light. I've taken it to the dealer a couple times. I get the standard misfire and bad gas story. I've now got the blue screen on the back up camera that seems to come and go. The unit needs service is extremely random. I think they just clear the codes and hope they don't come back. They haven't a clue what's causing it because they're mechanics, not rocket scientists to figure the electrical stuff.

Truly hope you never do. I did think I was in the clear.
 
Jako said:
You have been a member for a while. Owned other Rams? If so how did they work out?
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I've owned a lot of RAMs, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2020 and now a 2026. All were flawless except the 13 which had the 6.7 Cummins that would not stop dripping oil from the front case. Was repurchased by RAM and I purchased the 2014 with the 6.4 that gave no issues.
 
Thanks for the replies so far. Based on what I'm hearing and seeing, I think I might have to pass on the RAM brand for now. For what it's worth, my '25 was just fine until about 7K and then the problems started.
 
You're not wrong. I'm basically looking for something a little larger and with at least Hemi levels of pep.

Tundra - Main bearing issues and fairly well-known catastrophic engine failures
Silverado - The jury is out on whether or not the 6.2 is a safe buy following the big recall and the diesel option is not for me
Ram - Revised electric system doesn't seem to be panning out
Titan - It's cousin the Armada is one of the worst reviewed vehicles ever made and I've never heard a positive word about it.
F-150 - I can't find anything especially damning on these other than some transmission concerns that seem to have cleared up. I had some bad Fords in the past though so this makes me very nervous
 
MNiceguy said:
You're not wrong. I'm basically looking for something a little larger and with at least Hemi levels of pep.

Tundra - Main bearing issues and fairly well-known catastrophic engine failures
Silverado - The jury is out on whether or not the 6.2 is a safe buy following the big recall and the diesel option is not for me
Ram - Revised electric system doesn't seem to be panning out
Titan - It's cousin the Armada is one of the worst reviewed vehicles ever made and I've never heard a positive word about it.
F-150 - I can't find anything especially damning on these other than some transmission concerns that seem to have cleared up. I had some bad Fords in the past though so this makes me very nervous
Click to expand...

I’ve got a midsized truck I’m looking to upgrade and I test drove a new 26 Ram Hemi. Absolutely loved it. Then I read about the electrical systems and got scared off.

After a lot of hunting around I’ve looked at each of the trucks in your list. Agree with most of it.

The Titan is actually pretty amazing. Very old school tho. It feels like a truck of yesterday, but for me I found that enjoyable. They’re quite reliable too, powertrain-wise. Particularly anything after like 2019 or so (whenever they fixed that cylinder 7 issue). I’ll say the backup camera on the thing is awful tho. Not even sure why they bothered it’s so fuzzy. Otherwise great.

The F-150 is quirky. My family has had many F-150s. Never stranded in a single one, but never had a problem free one that didn’t need some dealer intervention. For that reason I’d argue the F-150 experience boils down to having a good dealer.

I think the comments here are right tho. It’d be smart to look for a lightly used pre-2025 RAM. I’ve seen a lot of success stories out of the 2020-2024 range. Perhaps a 2024 is the sweet spot. Non COVID years and pre electrical change with a HEMI.
 
I just picked up a new 2026 Laramie with the Hurricane engine. I looked at all the full size and mid size trucks and chose the Ram because it had the best features for the price and fits my needs the best. I was concerned about the quality, but all trucks today seem to have some kind of problem according to the internet.

Another thing that pushed me to Ram was it consistently lands on Car & Driver’s 10 best list. I also know people who own Ram’s and speak highly of them.

I do have concerns about reliability long term. I like that Ram offered the 10 year 100k powertrain warranty on all 2026 models with the Hurricane engine. My understanding is that’s only good for trucks bought before the end of the year.

Since I tend to keep vehicles 15 - 20 years, I also negotiated in the additional 10 year 100k bumper to bumper warranty (I.E. insurance). I never used to buy these, but with the complexity of new vehicles today, it makes sense for people like me who buy and hold a long time.
 
SW Driver said:
I also negotiated in the additional 10 year 100k bumper to bumper warranty (I.E. insurance).
Click to expand...
Is this the Mopar warranty you're talking about? If so, just be aware that it's definitely not a bumper to bumper warranty.
 
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